The present disclosure is related generally to the field of dental treatment. More particularly, the present disclosure is related to systems, methods, computing device readable media, and devices for creating a dental appliance having a cavity for an unerupted or erupting tooth.
Dental treatments may involve, for instance, restorative and/or orthodontic procedures. Restorative procedures may be designed to implant a dental prosthesis (e.g., a crown, bridge inlay, onlay, veneer, etc.) intraorally in a patient. Orthodontic procedures may include repositioning misaligned teeth and changing bite configurations for improved cosmetic appearance and/or dental function. Orthodontic repositioning can be accomplished, for example, by applying controlled forces to one or more teeth over a period of time.
As an example, orthodontic repositioning may be provided through a dental process that uses positioning dental appliances for realigning teeth. Such appliances may utilize a thin shell of light weight and/or transparent material having resilient properties, referred to as an “aligner,” that generally conforms to a user's teeth but is slightly out of alignment with a current tooth configuration.
An example of orthodontic repositioning that can occur through a dental process is a process that uses one or more positioning dental appliances for realigning teeth. Placement of an appliance over the teeth can provide controlled forces in specific locations to gradually move the teeth into a new configuration. Repetition of this process with successive appliances in progressive configurations can move the teeth through a series of intermediate arrangements toward a final desired arrangement.
In some applications, one or more teeth may not have fully emerged from the gingiva into their final position in the patient's mouth. This process is often referred to as eruption of a tooth. As used herein, a tooth that has not emerged from the gingiva is referred to as not erupted, a tooth that has emerged from the gingiva and is moving toward its final position is referred to as partially erupted, and a tooth in its final position, when discussing eruption, is referred to herein as fully erupted.
Such dental appliances have cavities formed in the shell of the appliance into which one or more teeth will be positioned. Further, dental appliances used as aligners rely on resilient properties of the aligner material to impart force on one or more teeth to move the teeth and as such a space in the shell for an erupting tooth has to be provided for the shell and also has to be designed to provide whatever force is desired by the treatment plan. Therefore, design of the space on the shell cannot be done in a trivial manner.
When designing dental appliances for patients with erupting teeth, it can be difficult to provide an appropriately shaped appliance when little or nothing may be known about the tooth that is emerging or has yet to emerge. For example, orthodontic patients at growing ages often start their treatment when permanent canines and/or bicuspids are not fully erupted.
Natural eruption of these teeth is utilized to erupt the teeth. This process provides enough space in the arch and prevents interference with aligner structure during eruption, since even small magnitude of consistent or repeated force can impede or stop eruption.
Further, in some instances, the cavity for the erupting tooth may be sized incorrectly for the erupting tooth (e.g., based upon the space within the patient's mouth prior to the tooth erupting or in the early stages of eruption). Additionally, it may be difficult to predict the speed at which the tooth may erupt and, therefore, the shell may be designed such that it does not accommodate the tooth properly as it erupts. In some such instances, the tooth may contact one or more surfaces of the cavity which may slow the eruption process, cause discomfort to the patient, and/or unintentionally change the positioning of the appliance, among other possible issues.